Newtown, Birmingham
Newtown is an inner-city area in the Aston district of Birmingham, England. The area was formerly dominated by slum housing and heavy industry, and was designated Redevelopment Area status after World War II leading to massive redevelopment as a council estate along with 29 tower blocks, part of a larger complex of 73 towers blocks within the Aston district. The first tower blocks to be approved in the area were two 15 storey blocks on New John Street in 1960, and a further three 15 storey tower blocks were approved for the street in 1963. In 1961, a 12 storey block was approved on Great King Street. Four 11 storey tower blocks were approved on Great Hampton Row in 1963. In 1965, three 13 storey blocks were approved for the Summer Lane and Theodore Street area (now Ruddington Way), and a 15 storey block was approved for the Summer Lane and Milton Street area. In 1966, six 13 storey blocks were approved on Guest Grove and Pannel Croft, two 13 storey blocks on Newbury Road, and a shopping centre with a 15 storey tower block on High Street. Finally, in 1968, three 20 storey tower blocks were approved for the North area around the roads Gower Street, Clifford Street and Guildford Street. A tower block called Hertford House was also constructed on the edge of the St Georges estate next the the roundabout at the end of Unett Street / Well Street / Great King Street. This was demolished in the 1990's. As of 2012, five tower blocks have been demolished and refurbishment work is underway on Manton and Reynolds House as part of a wider initiative to regenerate Newtown. The regeneration has seen the clearance of many council houses around Alma Way, with plans to replace them with modern homes and a new youth centre which is already nearing completion. Loosely related to the initiative was the reconstruction of the Holte and Lozells Schools. In total there were 29 tower blocks in the Newtown area up until the millennium and these were part of the 70 council owned tower blocks in the whole of Aston. Between 2002 and 2006 there were 6 towers pulled down in the north of the area around New Croft and Pannel Croft. In 2014 Cornwall Tower (Heaton Street, Boulton complex, Hockley) was detonated. As of 2015 there are 21 tower blocks left in Newtown. Another 2 towers not counted but nearby in South Aston, both 20 storeys high and next to the Aston Expressway, are expected to be pulled down in 2016. These are Barry Jackson Tower on Brooklyn Avenue and Sapphire Tower on Dunsfold Croft. Tower blocks The four 20 storey blocks in the North area were: *Hodgson Tower on Guildford Drive *Wiggin Tower (demolished 2002) on Clifford Street *Brooks Tower (demolished 2002) on Thomas George Way *Clyde Tower (demolished 2006) on Chain Walk The two 18 storey Hockley tower blocks in the south-west area, just the other side of the Hockley Flyover are: * Norfolk Tower on Lodge Road * Cornwall Tower on Heaton Street (demolished Oct 2014) Both of these were of the Boulton complex leading southwards towards the Sand Pits estate of the Ladywood complex and Edgbaston District. The single 15 storey tower block built above Newtown Shopping Centre is: *Inkerman House The single 15 storey tower block built on Milton Street is: *Baldwin House The five 15 storey tower blocks on New John Street became the St Georges estate and are: *Rea Tower *Teviot Tower *Geach Tower *Martineau Tower *Scholefield Tower The six 13 storey tower blocks built on Pannel Croft and Guest Grove were *Pannel Croft: **Bower House (demolished) **Sayer House (demolished) **White House (demolished) *Guest Grove south-west area near Hockley: **James House on Newtown Drive **Lloyd House on Newtown Drive **Sadler House on Newtown Drive The two 13 storey blocks on Newbury Road are: *Manton House *Reynolds House The three 13 storey blocks built on Ruddington Way are: *Fallows House *Thornton House *Weston House The one 13 storey block built on Unett Street next to the roundabout on the St Georges estate is: * Hertford House (demolished) The four 11 storey blocks built on Great Hampton Row became the St Georges estate and are: *Bowater House *Cadbury House *Holland House *Ryland House Category:Birmingham Category:Newtown Category:Redevelopment areas